Mega Millions jackpot hits $754 million as lottery frenzy pushes total prizes over $1 billion
TRENTON, NJ — The Mega Millions jackpot has soared to a staggering $754 million after no ticket matched all numbers in Tuesday’s drawing — marking the ninth-largest prize in the game’s history and helping push combined top lottery prizes nationwide past the $1 billion mark.
With the Powerball jackpot currently sitting at $400 million after Wednesday’s draw yielded no grand prize winner, players now have a shot at more than $1.15 billion in combined jackpots between the two multi-state games heading into the weekend. The next Mega Millions drawing is Friday, and Powerball draws again on Saturday.
While no one claimed the Mega Millions top prize this week, players across New Jersey continue to see major wins thanks to game updates that have increased multiplier payouts. Since April, 15 players in the state have seen their $10,000 base prizes increase, with an Ocean County winner in early October turning a $1 million win into $3 million and a Bergen County player quadrupling a $1 million prize to $4 million.
This run’s $754 million jackpot carries a cash option of $352.8 million. The current figure places it just behind the $810 million prize won in Texas in September 2024. The largest Mega Millions jackpot on record remains the $1.602 billion win in Florida on August 8, 2023.
The lottery landscape in New Jersey remains especially active. Jersey Cash 5 is offering a $1.32 million jackpot in tonight’s drawing, while Pick-6 is back to $2.1 million after a Hudson County ticket hit for $22 million on Saturday. Meanwhile, Cash4Life continues to produce big winners, including a $1 million prize claimed last Thursday at a Krauser’s in Cranford, Union County.
Cash4Life gives players the chance at daily “for life” prizes: $1,000 a day or $1,000 a week, with lump sum options of $7 million and $1 million respectively. So far this year, one New Jersey player has claimed the $7 million top prize, while five others have each secured $1 million.
The New Jersey Lottery has generated nearly $34.6 billion in revenue since 1970, with proceeds currently directed toward the state’s public employee pension system under a 30-year funding agreement signed into law in 2017.
Key Points
- Mega Millions jackpot climbs to $754 million ahead of Friday’s draw, ninth largest in game history
- Powerball jackpot rises to $400 million for Saturday, pushing combined lottery prizes over $1.15 billion
- New Jersey players continue to win millions from multipliers and other draw games including Pick-6, Jersey Cash 5, and Cash4Life